This study focused on producing flash flood hazard susceptibility maps (FFHSM) using frequency ratio (FR) and statistical index (SI) models in the Xiqu Gully (XQG) of Beijing, China. First, a total of 85 flash flood hazard locations (n = 85) were surveyed in the field and plotted using geographic information system (GIS) software. Based on the flash flood hazard locations, a flood hazard inventory map was built. Seventy percent (n = 60) of the flooding hazard locations were randomly selected for building the models. The remaining 30% (n = 25) of the flooded hazard locations were used for validation. Considering that the XQG used to be a coal mining area, coalmine caves and subsidence caused by coal mining exist in this catchment, as well as many ground fissures. Thus, this study took the subsidence risk level into consideration for FFHSM. The ten conditioning parameters were elevation, slope, curvature, land use, geology, soil texture, subsidence risk area, stream power index (SPI), topographic wetness index (TWI), and short-term heavy rain. This study also tested different classification schemes for the values for each conditional parameter and checked their impacts on the results. The accuracy of the FFHSM was validated using area under the curve (AUC) analysis. Classification accuracies were 86.61%, 83.35%, and 78.52% using frequency ratio (FR)-natural breaks, statistical index (SI)-natural breaks and FR-manual classification schemes, respectively. Associated prediction accuracies were 83.69%, 81.22%, and 74.23%, respectively. It was found that FR modeling using a natural breaks classification method was more appropriate for generating FFHSM for the Xiqu Gully.

Recently, the use of herbs in the agriculture and food industry has increased significantly. In particular, Rosmarinus officinalis L. extracts have been reported to have strong antibacterial properties, which depend on their chemical composition. The present study displayed a biological method for synthesis of magnesium oxide (MgO) nano-flowers. The nano-flowers are developed without using any catalyst agent. Aqueous Rosemary extract was used to synthesize MgO nano-flowers (MgONFs) in stirring conditions and temperature at 70°C for 4 h. The mixture solution was checked by UV-Vis spectrum to confirm the presence of nanoparticles. The MgO nano-flowers powder was further characterized in this study by the X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, bacteriological tests indicated that MgO nano-flowers significantly inhibited bacterial growth, biofilm formation, and motility of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, which is the causal agent of bacterial blight disease in rice. The electronic microscopic observation showed that bacterial cell death may be mainly due to destroy of cell integrity, resulting in leakage of intracellular content. As recommended, the use of Rosemary extract is an effective and green way to produce the MgO nano-flowers, which can be widely used in agricultural fields to suppress bacterial infection.

Both GLQG and physical stretching are beneficial during recovery following breast cancer. GLQC was more effective in terms of Qol improvements than physical stretching. Both programs brought improvements in anxiety or depression but had were comparable. GLQC group had a greater effect on immunological function than physical exercise.

This study is aimed at examining the potential role of regulatory T- (Treg-) Th1-Th17-Th22 cells in the pathogenic process of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). The numbers of Foxp3+Tregs and Th1, Th17, and Th22 cells were measured in 32 AIH patients using flow cytometry. Moreover, a murine model of experimental autoimmune hepatitis (EAH) was also established and used to investigate the function of Treg-Th1-Th17-Th22 cells in disease progression. AIH patients undergoing an active state had significantly decreased numbers of CD3+CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Tregs and increased numbers of CD3+CD4+CD25−Foxp3+T, CD3+CD4+IFN-γ+Th1, CD3+CD4+IL-17+Th17, and CD3+CD4+IL-2+Th22 cells as well as higher levels of Th1/Th17/Th22-type cytokines compared to AIH patients in remission and HC. Additionally, the numbers of CD3+CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Tregs were negatively correlated with the numbers of Th1-Th17-Th22 cells. Also, the serum levels of IL-17A and IL-22 were correlated positively with liver injury (ALT/AST), whereas the serum levels of IL-10 were correlated negatively with hypergammaglobulinaemia (IgG, IgM) in AIH patients. Interestingly, the percentages of spleen Tregs, expression of Foxp3 mRNA, and liver IL-10 levels decreased, whereas the percentages of spleen Th1-Th17-Th22 cells, expression of T-bet/AHR/RORγt mRNA, and liver IFN-γ, IL-17, and IL-22 levels increased in the murine model of EAH. Our findings demonstrated that an imbalance between Tregs and Th1-Th17-Th22 cells might contribute to the pathogenic process of AIH.

Intestinal microbiota (IM) dysbiosis contributes to the development of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in a murine model of experimental AIH (EAH), a condition more similar to that of AIH patients. Changes in the enteric microbiome were determined in AIH patients and EAH mice. Moreover, we established an experimental model of secondary EAH mice harboring dysbiosis (ABx) to analyze the effects of therapeutic FMT administration on follicular regulatory T (TFR) and helper T (TFH) cell imbalances and IM composition in vivo. Alterations of the IM composition and bacterial translocation occurred in AIH patients compared to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients and healthy controls (HCs). Therapeutic FMT significantly attenuated liver injury and bacterial translocation and improved the imbalance between splenic TFR cells and TFH cells in ABx EAH mice. Furthermore, therapeutic FMT also partially reversed the increasing trend in serum liver enzymes (ALT and AST) of CXCR5−/−EAH mice on the 28th day. Finally, therapeutic FMT could effectively restore antibiotic-induced IM dysbiosis in EAH mice. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that FMT was capable of controlling hepatitis progression in EAH mice, and the associated mechanism might be involved in the regulation of the TFR/TFH immune imbalance and the restoration of IM composition.

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The aim was to verify that dexmedetomidine (DEX) can attenuate CLP-induced intestinal injury via inhibition of inflammation. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated into Sham group and the other three CLP model groups, in terms of different treatments: placebo, DEX, and yohimbine plus DEX (DEX + YOH) groups. Pathology examination was conducted with HE stain. To identify differences among groups, the levels of DAO, and D-lactate in serum were measured by spectrophotometry, and the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum and organ were measured by ELISA. The expressions of occludin and TLR4 in tissue were detected by Western blot. The survival rate of an additional group of animals within 7 d was recorded. In DEX group, mortality was lower, histology change was minor, DAO, and D-lactate levels were reduced, and occludin expression was increased; the expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and TLR4 were also decreased in DEX group. These results indicated that acute intestinal injury induced by CLP was mitigated by DEX treatment. However, these effects of DEX were significantly attenuated by yohimbine in DEX + YOH group. Our study indicated the protective effects of DEX on CLP-induced injury, which may be associated with the inhibition of inflammation via modulating TLR4 pathway and can be blocked by yohimbine.

The various post-translational modifications of plant proteins have important regulatory roles in development. We therefore examined various modified proteins from strawberry stigmata and found that succinylation of lysine residues was the most abundant type of modification. We then subjected proteins from strawberry stigmata to an efficient enrichment method for succinylated peptides and identified 200 uniquely succinylated lysines in 116 proteins. A bioinformatics analysis revealed that these proteins are involved in important biological processes, including stress responses, vesicular transport, and energy metabolism. Proteomics, combined with immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting, revealed an obvious increase in succinylation of the assembly polypeptide 2 (AP2) and clathrin from 0.5 to 2 h after pollination, suggesting that succinylation is involved in the recognition of pollen-stigma signaling substances and vesicular transport. These results suggest that AP2/clathrin-mediated vesicular transport processes are regulated by lysine succinylation during pollen recognition.